Blue porch lights show support for San Bernardino police, officer

Ever since San Bernardino police Officer Gabriel Garcia was shot in the head last week and hospitalized in critical condition, residents and others from out of state have been lighting their porch blue at night in support of Garcia and his colleagues at the San Bernardino Police Department.

“Obviously, officers like to know that they’re supported,” said Police Department spokesman Rich Lawhead. “Sometimes they don’t necessarily know how much they are supported ... but when they see a blue light like that, it is kind of a booster.”

Since Garcia was wounded in an Aug. 22 gun battle and taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, where he remains, San Bernardino residents and members of the greater law enforcement community have written letters, attended prayer services and now have illuminated their porches, blue, if possible.

Earlier this week, residents reported local hardware stores were sold out of blue bulbs.

On Friday, Lawhead said a couple of stores had been restocked and featured the bulbs in special displays for Garcia near checkout counters.

Resident Stephen Johns said he wrapped a pretzel jar in blue cellophane and placed it over a regular bulb to give his porch a blue hue.

As an employee of the city Public Works Department, Johns said he feels a certain bond toward Garcia as another city employee.

“Even though it’s a separate department from us, I feel we’re all one family,” he said. “So when I heard the news, it hit me pretty hard.”

One of the groups organizing “Lights on for Officer Gabriel Garcia” is the Heroes Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports police who are injured or killed in the line of duty.

They created an event on Facebook encouraging people to illuminate their porches in support of Garcia. More than 5,000 people responded from all over the state and country.

Even a woman from Baja California, Mexico, posted a picture of her blue porch light.